


He's not a bad guy.

by Lady_Zephyrine



Category: Dragon Quest XI
Genre: Gen, Spoilers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-12
Updated: 2020-02-12
Packaged: 2021-02-27 22:41:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 764
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22683385
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lady_Zephyrine/pseuds/Lady_Zephyrine
Summary: Eleven never thought that he'd be teaming up with Hendrik. And yet, here they were...going through the Manglegrove.
Kudos: 29





	He's not a bad guy.

Ever since Eleven came back to Cobblestone, he could see that everything in the Heliodor region had fallen apart. There was no sun, monsters were everywhere, and anyone who DID survive after The Fall had nowhere else to go BUT Cobblestone… Or rather, The Last Bastion.

Thankfully, Eleven wasn't entirely alone. But instead of having his friends around, he had no choice but to form an alliance with Hendrik. He wasn't a bad man, Eleven knew how loyal he was to his King and his people. But the fact that Hendrik chased him all over the world before didn't make him feel any better about traveling with him.

...Still, it was better to just let bygones be bygones. The two of them were walking through the Manglegrove, and with the bridge destroyed, the duo had no choice but to head into the lower level and keep going from there.

Eleven jumped as he heard someone scream. He quickly pulled out his sword, but he lowered his eyelids as he saw Hendrik had fallen onto his rear. A small centipede crawled by while minding its own business. Wherever it headed, Eleven didn't seem to care.

“Ahem,” Hendrik cleared his throat as he stood up and brushed the dirt off his tunic. “I...apologize for my behavior, that was...unprofessional of me.”

Eleven gave him a nod and offered to hold his hand.

“I’ll be fine,” Hendrik replied. “We just need to focus on getting to the foothills for now.”

Once again, Eleven nodded. He began to smile, though whether it was from amusement or something else, Hendrik wasn't sure.

“You’re...a lot quieter than I imagined,” Hendrik said. Eleven hummed in acknowledgement. “I...don't have much to say right now, you must find me boring. “

“Not really,” Hendrik said. “I’m just surprised is all. You always seemed more talkative around your friends.”

“I suppose so,” Eleven replied.

“Still “ Hendrik said, “I’m sure that after coming back to your hometown, you would have something on your mind.”

“Uh…” Eleven wondered if it was all right to talk to Hendrik about what he was thinking, he really didn't want to throw all of his problems at him. But considering how Erik was willing to listen to him back when they first started traveling, perhaps Hendrik might be willing to listen to him as well? After all, Hendrik looked as if he were getting impatient with Eleven.

“If you have something you want to say to me, then just say it.” Hendrik demanded. It probably came out harsher than he intended, but Eleven understood what he meant. He let out a deep breath before he spoke

“When I broke out of prison and came back to Cobblestone, I thought everyone was dead.”

“Of course you did,” Hendrik said, feeling a tinge of guilt in his chest. “Darkspawn or not, I never would've let them perish under Jasper's command.”

Once again, Eleven nodded. He continued to speak. “But while I traveled, I sort of...formed another family. I’m sure they would love to meet Mum and Gemma.”

“You really think they're still out there?”

“They have to be,” Eleven replied. “If I’m alive, the others must be too.”

“Well...I suppose so, otherwise His Majesty and I wouldn't be here either.”

Once again, Eleven offered to give Hendrik his hand. “I can't speak for the others...but you can be family too, if you'd like.”

Was Eleven really all right with this idea? If it were just him, then Hendrik would've said “yes” in an instant. But considering how the others must have felt about him, he couldn't exactly say it that easily.

“ I’ll...think about it,” Hendrik replied. “But right now, we need to eliminate the Darkness from this area.”

“I understand,” Eleven replied. “We need to find a way into the castle, right?”

Hendrik nodded. Though he wasn't sure if joining Eleven’s “family” was going to be worth it in the long run, he was willing to protect him at all costs.

...Hendrik began screaming again as he felt something crawl onto his leg, he shook it violently just to get it off. But when he calmed down, he could see Eleven staring right at him.

“Another bug?”

“Er...yes...Another bug.”

Eleven let out a quiet chuckle as he grabbed Hendrik’s hand, he picked up his pace and started heading further into the Manglegrove. “The exit should be here, somewhere!”

Hendrik kept up with Eleven while running through the dark jungle. The sooner they got out, the sooner that Hendrik could get away from the bugs.


End file.
